By Micah Brown —
Football (2-3, 0-2) failed to close out a game against Florida State in which they led and had possession of the ball in the closing minutes. For many fans, the loss seemed reminiscent of men’s basketball’s last-second heartbreak to No. 1 Virginia last season.
While the 28-24 defeat is difficult to swallow, the team’s offensive performance showed promise and gave fans a glimpse of what they are used to seeing from squads coached by Bobby Petrino in the past.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jawon Pass put his arm on display, completing 24 passes out of 45 attempts for 306 yards and two touchdowns. This comes one week after the offense produced just 148 yards for the entire game in their contest against Virginia.
Pass also varied in his deliveries, targeting seven different receivers in his 24 completions.
Freshman wide receiver Tutu Atwell and redshirt junior receiver Devante Peete displayed the speed that is so abundant on this team. The pair caught a combined four passes for 93 yards.
Senior tight end Micky Crum, who is finally fully healthy after being sidelined by injuries the past two seasons, was Pass’s favorite target. The quarterback targeted Crum eight times for 47 yards, making for the most receptions by a tight end since former Cardinal Gary Barnidge caught eight in 2007.
Another positive for Louisville was the offense’s ground attack.
After rushing for just 66 yards in their past performance at UVA, freshman running back Hassan Hall and junior running back Trey Smith used their speed to turn corners and burst through open holes. Both supplemented Pass’s aerial attack and ran for a combined 127 yards against the Seminole defense.
With just five days to prepare before hosting Georgia Tech, senior wide receiver Jaylen Smith described his process for moving on.
“I follow the 24-hour rule. Whether it’s a win or a loss, you go to sleep, you wake up and it’s a new day. The sun’s gonna rise tomorrow, I promise you that,” Smith said.
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Photos by Taris Smith / The Louisville Cardinal
